Before their upset of then-No. 8 Texas on Saturday, Texas Tech coach Kristy Curry gave her players a shirt with a motivating slogan now that Big 12 Conference play is in full swing.
"Two months left," Curry said after Tech's 65-62 win over No. 16 Texas Saturday. "We have a t-shirt we gave them that says you have to undo it to do it. We've gotta undo some things, whether it's more sleep or whether it's spending more time in the gym and not being selfish with your time. Undo it to do it. These kids are ready to undo it to do it. This is one win, and we've got to look at the big picture."
One thing the Lady Raiders may have to undo is their lack of success on the road this season.
They'll get their first shot against No. 8 Texas A&M (13-1, 1-0 in Big 12 play) at 7 p.m. in College Station.
Last season, Tech (10-4, 1-0) did not win a conference game on the road, going 0-8 on the year.
Tech did go 3-1 on the road in non-conference games last year, but this season, the Lady Raiders have
yet to find success away from the United Spirit Arena.
All four of the Lady Raiders' losses have come on the road to Iowa, Cal, South Florida and New Mexico with each being on a neutral site except for the New Mexico game, which was in Albuquerque, N.M.
With a win over a Top-10 team under their belts, the Lady Raiders now have to get their first conference win on the road since a 70-69 win against Nebraska Feb. 14, 2007, and do it against another Top-10 team.
A&M coach Gary Blair said he knows how tough it is to win on the road in the Big 12.
The Aggies recently traveled to Missouri and snapped the Tigers' eight-game winning streak in a narrow 62-56 victory. At one point in the game, A&M had a 17-point lead, but Mizzou pulled closer for a chance to win the game. However, Danielle Gant's 22 points made sure the Aggies did not leave Columbia, Mo., with a loss.
Although he believes Tech is much improved with the maturation of Maria Moore and improvement from Dominic Seals, Blair said he is just happy to be back at home after a Mizzou win he called "lucky."
"There's nothing better in the Big 12 than winning a road game," said Blair, who is a Tech alumnus. "There is nothing better. Really you're out there by yourself. Normally your fans do not travel with you on the road. You gotta do it yourself. You gotta have great preparation. You gotta have good decision making. The coaches have got to be able to call the right plays at the right time. You better play defense and you better rebound the basketball."
Right after facing Texas' Brittainey Raven, Tech now has to face more big-name players from the Big 12 in Grant and Takia Starks.
Starks, who had 14 points against Mizzou behind Gants' game-high 22, is eighth in the conference in scoring with 14.5 points per game. Gant is right behind her with 14.2 points per game - good for ninth in the Big 12.
Texas A&M is just the beginning for Tech.
Kansas, No. 17 Kansas State and No. 5 Baylor loom for the Lady Raiders. While Kansas is on the road, K-State and Baylor are at home.
Curry said with the way her team is playing now, the next few games are appreciated and welcomed.
"There's probably not a tougher start to conference play than what we have," she said. "Our kids are going to rise to the challenge."
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